Ink roller socket



Oct. 30, 1962 v. J. HILGOE ETAL 3,060,351

INK ROLLER SOCKET Filed Jan. 31, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 +7- J. nu

Oct. 30, 1962 J. HILGOE IETAL 3,060,851

INK ROLLER SOCKET Filed Jan. 31, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 time 3,050,851 Patented Get. 30, 1962 3,660,851 INK ROLLER SOCKET.

Vernon J. Hilgoe, Lombard, and Jonas Marltvaldas,

Cicero, 111., assignors to MiehEe-Goss-Dexter incorporated, Chicago, 111., a eorperation of Delaware Filed Jan. 31, 1961, Ser. No. 86,036 8 Claims. t ll. 161-349) This invention relates generally to rotary printing presses and concerns, more particularly, a socket for adjustably mounting rollers in a press inking arrangement.

The primary aim of the invention is to provide an improved ink roller socket of the general type shown in US. Patent No. 2,915,009, issued December 1, 1959, to Chase. The function of such a socket is to support a rubber covered roller in a press so that it bears with the desired pressure against a single fixed roller or each of two spaced cylinders and is thus able to properly distribute or transfer ink. One socket supports each end of the roller and each socket is adjustable so as to slightly shift the axis of the roller and thereby vary the pressure of the roller on the adjacent cylinders.

Provision is also made in such sockets to either lock the supported roller in a fixed adjusted position or to resiliently urge it against the adjacent cylinders, depending upon the mode of operation desired.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved socket as characterized above which, in addition to the functions described, also makes it possible to quickly and conveniently throw off the supported roller from the adjacent cylinder without otherwise disturbing the adjustment of the parts. The roller may then be restored to its original adjusted position just as easily. In this way, impression measurements of the roller flats against the adjacent cylinders can be quickly and conveniently made so as to facilitate obtaining the proper pressure relationships.

It is also an object to provide a socket of the above type which provides a precisely adjustable, self-locking arrangement for shifting the axis of the roller supported by the socket.

A further object is to provide a socket as described above which is a particularly compact unit with all movable or adjustable parts being mounted on a single compact base. Moreover, it is an object to provide a socket of the above character whose operating parts are, for the most part, enclosed or shielded against the adverse effects of ink mist and dust or dirt.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be come apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation, as seen through a group of rollers on a press, of a socket constructed in accordance with the present invention and has been taken approximately along the line 11 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary bottom elevation taken approximately along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 3, 4, and are fragmentary sections taken approximately along the lines 3-3, 44, and 55, respectively, in FIG. 2.

While the invention will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that we do not intend to limit the invention to that embodiment. On the contrary, We intend to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Turning first to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a socket embodying the invention and rotatably supporting an ink transfer or distributor roller 11 on a press frame 12 of which only a fragment is shown. The outside surface of the roller 11 is formed of resilient material and is effective, in the arrangement illustrated, to transfer a film of ink from a drum cylinder 13 to a plate cylinder 14. The roller 11 is mounted on a shaft 15 which extends from the end of the roller into a bearing 16 that is carried by the socket 10. It will be understood that the shaft 15 extends from either end of the roller and that a second socket, not illustrated, supports the opposite end of the roller 11. Since the two sockets are identical except for being right and left hand units, only the socket 10 has been illustrated and described.

Proper ink transfer from the drum cylinder 13 to the plate cylinder 14 depends upon obtaining a proper amount of pressure between the resilient roller 11 and the two cylinders 13, 14. This proper pressure can be obtained by shifting the roller shaft 15- relative to the drum and plate cylinders 13, 14. To maintain equal pressure between the roller and the two cylinders, it will be appreciated that the axis of the shaft 15, when the roller 11 is shifted, must move along a line 17 which represents the locus of points equidistant from the surfaces of the drum and plate cylinders 13, 14. With the cylinders 13, 14 being of unequal size, the line 17 becomes a hyperbolic curve. To provide for this sort of adjustment, the socket 10 is adapted to swing the roller shaft 15 through an are 18 which is tangent to the hyperbolic line 17 (see FIG. 1). In this way, the shaft 15, and thus the roller 11, can be adjusted along a path closely approximating the line 17, when the adjustment is through the region of tangency between the are 18 and the line 17.

Provision is also made in the socket 10 for slightly shifting the axis, and thus the position, of the are 18 so that the desired region of tangency between the arc and the line 17 can be established and maintained.

The above functions and general mode of operation of the socket 10 are similar to that described in the above identified US. Patent No. 2,915,009 and reference may be had thereto for a more complete discussion.

For rotatably supporting the shaft 15 of the roller 11 in the illustrated embodiment, the socket 10 includes a bearing support formed of two arcuate pieces 21 and 22 which are hinged together about a rod member 23 so as to releasably embrace the bearing 16. A screw 24 is passed through the piece 22 into threadable engagement with the piece 21 so as to lock the bearing support pieces 21, 22 together. It will be appreciated that upon releasing the screw 24, the piece 22 can be swung about the rod member 23 so as to open the socket and permit removal or installation of the bearing 16 and the roller 11.

To permit swinging movement of the shaft 15, and thus the roller 11, along the are 18, the bearing support 21, 22 is pivoted relative to the frame 12 by a pin 31 to which the piece 21 is held by a nut 32. The pin 31 is mounted for limited rotation in a base 33 that is fixed to the frame 12 by a pair of screws 34. The bearing support 21, 22 can thus rotate about the pin 31 on the base 33 so as to carry the shaft 15 along the are 18.

The roller 11 is resiliently biased against the drum and plate cylinders 13, 14 and for this purpose the support piece 21 and the base 33 are formed with opposed recesses 35 and 36, respectively, which contain compressed springs 37 and 38 (see particularly FIG. 3). At one end, the springs 37, 38 are seated on a plug 39 fitted in the recess 35, and the opposite ends of the springs are fitted on a plug 4%) which is threadably locked in the recess 36.- The springs 37, 38 bias the bearing support 21, 22 upwardly in FIG. 1 so as to resiliently urge the roller 11 against the drum and plate cylinders 13, 14. The plug 40 has an external socket 41 so that, by insertion of a proper tool, the plug 40 can be threadably adjusted along the recess 36 so as to vary the force exerted by the springs 37, 38

the arc 18.

Preferably, a flexible cover such as a rubber boot 41 is disposed about the springs 37, 38 where they are exposed between the support piece 21 and the base 33 so as to shield the springs and the interiors of the recesses 35, 36 from the ink mist and dust normally found in the environment in which the socket is called upon to operate. The boot 41 is compressible so that it does not interfere with relative movement between the bearing support and the base.

The roller 11 may be locked in one position relative to the cylinders 13, 14 rather than have the roller biased against the cylinders by the springs 37, 38. The base 33 is formed with an elongated T-slot 45 in which an enlarged head 46 on the rod member 23 slides. A nut 47 is threaded on the outer end of the rod member so that by tightening the nut 47, the rod member clamps the hearing support 21, 22 against the base 33. This, of course, prevents swinging movement of the bearing support about the pin 31 and thus locks the roller 11 in a given position. The T -slot 45 is sufliciently long, as can be seen in FIG. 1, and sufficiently wide, as can be seen in FIG. 2, to permit the various adjustments of the socket to be made when the nut 47 has been loosened.

For sealing the slot 45 and mating surfaces of base 33 and support 21 against ink mist and dust, an upstanding flange 48 is formed integrally with the base 33 about the T-slot 45 and a ring 49 having a peripheral groove is fitted about the rod member 23 between the bearing support 21, 22 and the flange 48. A flexible annular boot 50 is fitted about the flange 48 and the ring 49, and a clamp wire 51 anchors the boot 50 to the ring 49. The boot 59 is sufliciently flexible to permit the bearing support 21, 22 to slide freely with respect to the flange 48.

In carrying out the invention, the pin 31 is rotatably mounted in the base 33 and the bearing support 21, 22 is pivoted on the pin eccentrically with respect to the part of the pin 31 mounted in the base 33. A worm and a worm gear are enclosed in the base for precisely adjusting and locking the pin in various alternate positions of rotation. In this way, the axis for the are 18 can be slightly shifted so as to get the proper relative amount of compression between the roller 11 and each of the cylinders 13, 14. In the preferred embodiment, the pin 31 has a cylindrical body 55 which is rotatably mounted in the base 33 and that portion of the pin on which the support piece 21 is journaled is formed eccentrically with respect to the body 55. The body 55 carries an adjacent worm gear 56 together with a pin 57 which swings in an arcuate recess 58 formed in the base 33 so as to establish limiting positions for rotation of the worm gear 56.

Meshing with the worm gear 56 is a worm 59 carried on a shaft 60 that is rotatably mounted in a chamber 61 formed in the base 33. A nut 62 is pinned to an extending end of shaft 60 to hold the shaft in the base 33 and to provide a gripping portion by which the shaft can be easily rotated. It will be appreciated that rotating the nut 62 causes the worm 59 to drive the worm gear 56 so as to rotate the pin body 55 and thus shift the bearing support 21, 22, with respect to the surfaces of the adjacent cylinders. Shifting the pin 31 moves the axis about which the bearing support 21, 22 swings and thereby varies the position of the shaft 15, and the roller 11, with respect to the surfaces of the cylinders 13, 14. The worm and worm gear drive for the pin 31 permit very precise rotational adjustment of the pin and are, of course, selflocking in that forces exerted on the pin 31 cannot rotate the pin body 55 and worm 59 out of their desired position of adjustment.

In accordance with an important aspect of the invention, a cam 70 is rotatably mounted on the base 33 for shifting or throwing 011 the roller 11 from the cylinders 13, 14 against the bias of the springs 37, 38. In the illustrated construction, the cam 70 is carried on a cam shaft 71 that is rotatably mounted in the base 33 and secured in position by a lock ring 72. Preferably, the cam shaft 71 includes a hexagonal portion 73 so that the shaft, and thus the cam 7t), can be conveniently gripped and rotated.

The cam 71 cooperates with a cam arm 74 formed integrally with the bearing support piece 21 and located so that by turning the cam 70 in a counterclockwise direction as seen in FIG. 1, the cam arm 74 is cammed to the right. This rotates the bearing support 21, 22 counterclockwise about the pin 31 so as to move the axis of the she t 15 along the line 18 in a direction to separate the roller 11 from the cylinders 13, 14. Upon less than a one-quarter turn, the cam 70 and the arm 74 assume selflocking positions with the cam 76 propping the bearing support against the bias of the springs 37, 38.

The practi al importance of the cam throw-off for the roller 11 will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. In the first place, by turning the cam 70 so as to rotate the bearing support 21, 22 against the bias of the springs 37, 38, all the biasing force can be taken ofl the roller 11 and its shaft 15 so as to greatly facilitate installation and replacement of the roller. Furthermore, it is necessary to test for the proper setting between a form roller and its adjacent cylinders. The test is frequently made by separating and inserting a piece of paper between the resilient form roller and the cylinder when these members are covered by ink and measuring the width of the ink mark formed by the flattening of the rubber covered roller against the cylinder when these members are moved together into operating relation. Obviously, the greater the pressure between the resilient roller and the adjacent cylinder, the greater will be the flatted area and the Wider will be the resulting strip of ink on the test paper. When utilizing the socket 143, the roller 11 can be conveniently separated from the adjacent cylinders 13, 14 by use of the cam 70 and a sheet of paper inserted between the form roller and the cylinders. The cam can then be swung back to bring the roller 11 into operating engagement with the cylinders 13, 14 and the test made without removing the roller from its supporting socket. Shifting the bearing support through the use of the cam 70 does not, of course, alter the adjusted position of the roller .and, hence, the test can be repeated while making precise rotational adjustments of the pin 31 and the plug 41 until the desired setting is obtained. Thereafter, the roller 11 can be thrown off from the adjacent cylinders or even removed from the socket 10 without altering the socket adjustment.

It can now be seen that the socket 10 is unusually compact so as to occupy little space in the press. It can also be seen that virtually all of the operating parts of the socket are completely enclosed and, hence, the adjustability of the socket is virtually unaffected by the environment of ink mist, dust and other foreign materials in which the socket must operate. In addition, all of the adjustable elements of the socket 1% are readily accessible to the operator of the press.

Furthermore, socket 113 can be seen to be a complete unit, ready for use, which may be solidly attached to a press frame in any desired location by means of two bolts. When installed, the base 33 is fixed relative to the frame so there is no adjustment problem due to an accumulation of ink and dirt under the base. The other mating surfaces of the socket having relative movement are protected, and thus it will always be possible to make positive adjustments quickly and easily.

We claim as our invention:

1. A socket for supporting a roller in a printing press frame comprising, in combination, a base adapted to be mounted on said frame, a pin rotatably mounted in said base and extending parallel to the axis of said roller, a bearing support for said roller mounted on said pin for rotatable movement about an axis eccentric with respect to said pin axis, means for biasing said support in one direction of rotation about said pin, means for rotating and holding said pin in alternate positions of rotation so as to shift the axis of rotation of said support, and means on said base for shifting said support a predetermined amount against said bias in all of said alternate positions of said pin.

2. A socket for supporting a roller in a printing press frame comprising, in combination, a base adapted for mounting on said frame, a pin rotatably mounted in said base and extending parallel to the axis of said roller, a bearin support for said roller mounted on said pin for rotatable movement about an axis eccentric with respect to said pin axis, means for biasing said support in one direction of rotation about said pin, means for rotating and holding said pin in alternate positions of rotation so as to shift the axis of rotation of said support, a cam rotatably mounted on said base, and a cam arm on said support extending adjacent said cam so that rotation of said cam shifts said support a predetermined amount against said bias in all of said alternate positions of said pin.

3. A socket for supporting a roller in a printing press frame comprising, in combination, a base fixed with respect to said press frame, a pin rotatably mounted in said base and extending parallel to the axis of said roller, a bearing support mounted on said pin for rotatable movement about an axis eccentric with respect to said pin axis, means for biasing said support in one direction of rotation about said pin, said base having a chamber adjacent said pin, a shaft having a worm portion rotatably mounted in said chamber, said pin having a worm gear portion in meshing engagement with said worm so that rotating said shaft rotates and holds said pin in alternate positions of rotation so as to shift the .axis of rotation of said support, and means on said base for shifting said support a predetermined amount against said bias in all of said alternate positions of said pin.

4. A socket for supporting a roller in a printing press comprising, in combination, a base fixed with respect to said press, a pin rotatably mounted in said base and extending parallel to the axis of said roller, a bearing support for said roller mounted on said pin for rotatable movement about an axis eccentric with respect to said pin axis, said support and said base having opposed recesses, a spring fitted into said recesses so as to bias said support in one direction of rotation about said pin, a resilient boot surrounding said spring between said recesses, means for rotating and holding said pin in alternate positions of rotation so as to shift the axis of rotation of said support, and means on said base for selectively shifting said support a predetermined amount against said bias in all of said alternate positions of said pin.

5. A socket for supporting a roller in a printing press comprising, in combination, a base fixed with respect to said press, a pin rotatably mounted in said base and extending parallel to the axis of said roller, a bearing support for said roller mounted on said pin for rotatable movement about an axis eccentric with respect to said pin axis, said support and said base having opposed recesses, a spring fitted into said recesses so as to bias said support in one direction of rotation about said pin, said base having a chamber adjacent to said pin, a shaft having a Worm portion rotatably mounted in said chamber, said pin having a worm gear portion in meshing engagement with said worm so that rotating said shaft rotates and holds said pin in alternate positions of adjustment so as to shift the axis of rotation of said support, a cam rotatably mounted on said base, and a cam arm on said support extending adjacent said cam so that rotation of said cam shifts said support a predetermined amount against said bias in all of said alternate positions of said pin.

6. A socket for supporting a roller in a printing press comprising, in combination, a base fixed with respect to said press, a pin rotatably mounted in said base and extending parallel to the axis of said roller, a two-piece hearing support mounted on said pin for rotatable movement about an axis eccentric with respect to said pin axis, said two pieces being hinged about a rod member, means for biasing said bearing support in one direction of rotation about said pin, means for rotating and holding said pin in alternate positions of rotation so as to shift the axis of rotation of said support, means on said base for shifting said support a predetermined amount against said bias in all of said alternate positions of said pin, said base having an elongated T-slot therein, said rod having an enlarged head slidable in said T-slot upon rotation of said support on said pin, and means for drawing up said rod member so as to clamp said support against said base in any selected position of said support.

7. A socket for supporting a roller in a printing press comprising, in combination, a base fixed with respect to said press, a pin rotatably mounted in said base and extending parallel to the axis of said roller, a two-piece bearing support mounted on said pin for rotatable movement about an axis eccentric with respect to said pin axis, said two pieces being hinged about a rod member, means for biasing said bearing support in one direction of rotation about said pin, said base having an elongated T-slot therein, said rod having an enlarged head slidable in said T-slot upon rotation of said support on said pin, and means for drawing up said rod member so as to clamp said support against said base in any selected position of said support about said pin.

8. A socket for supporting a roller in a printing press comprising, in combination, a base fixed with respect to said press, a pin rotatably mounted in said base and extending parallel to the axis of said roller, a two-piece bearing support mounted on said pin for rotatable movement about an axis eccentric with respect to said pin axis, said two pieces being hinged about a rod member, said base having an elongated T-slot therein, a flange surrounding said T-slot, said rod having an enlarged head slidable in said T-slot upon rotation of said support on said pin, means for drawing up said rod member so as to clamp said support against said base in any selected position of said support about said pin, and a flexible annular boot anchored about said rod member and fitted about said flange so as to seal off said T-slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 973,098 Atwood Oct. 18, 1910 2,377,662 Barber June 5, 1945 2,750,883 Dietrich et a1 June 19, 1956 2,915,009 Chase Dec. 1, 1959 

